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Speaker 1: Usually about this time on a Wednesday morning, we will

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Speaker 1: catch up with the Lord Mayor Conbat Scarle as he's

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Speaker 1: not in this morning, but we are joined by the

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Speaker 1: CEO of the City of Darwin, Simone Saunders.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Am, I Good morning, Kay.

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Speaker 1: Great to have you in the studio. Now. I know

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Speaker 1: that the council met last night and certainly have discussed

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Speaker 1: the proposed development of the Chinatown site. What's happening there

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Speaker 1: at this stage.

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Speaker 2: So as we've often referred to it locally as the

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Speaker 2: hole in the ground has been there for a while.

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Speaker 2: It was purchased in early March twenty one by a

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Speaker 2: developer and they're looking to do a fourteen story mixed

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Speaker 2: purpose development on the site with three levels of underground

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Speaker 2: parking as well. So I guess a great opportunity for

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Speaker 2: the city. And yeah, all green lights from council last

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Speaker 2: night in regard to the development.

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Speaker 1: Well, and I think people will be probably pretty happy

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Speaker 1: to see that part of town kind of get reactivated again,

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Speaker 1: don't you Reckon Absolutely.

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Speaker 2: I think that end of Mitchell Street, it doesn't look

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Speaker 2: the same as what it potentially did ten to fifty

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Speaker 2: years ago. And we've really seen I guess an uptaking

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Speaker 2: interest in investment. I reckon in the last six months

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Speaker 2: in old buildings and redeveloping within Mitchell Street and more

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Speaker 2: broadly in the city, which is great to see. That

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Speaker 2: is good to see, and again I reckon that people

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Speaker 2: like to see that area of town sort of reactivated.

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Speaker 2: It has been a bit quiet in those spaces for

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Speaker 2: a while, so it would be a good thing. Do

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Speaker 2: we have much of an idea with that fourteen story

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Speaker 2: mixed development, are we sort of looking at units or

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Speaker 2: do we know exactly what it will be at this point? Look,

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Speaker 2: at this stage, they've just indicated it's a mixed use,

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Speaker 2: so between office and commercials. So hopefully some commercial tendency

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Speaker 2: maybe in the ground floor will really help to activate

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Speaker 2: that area as well. And they're also going to utilize

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Speaker 2: I think a bit further out there's seven bays that

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Speaker 2: a council approved to be removed in Mott Court to

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Speaker 2: the side of the development, so with nice like overhangs

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Speaker 2: for shading around the area as well, so it looks great, okay.

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Speaker 1: And then I also understand that there's the councils going

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Speaker 1: through at the moment the final phase of an overhaul

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Speaker 1: of the by laws. Now you're still in the process

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Speaker 1: of seeking some further input on this. But what is

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Speaker 1: this all about when you talk about those by laws

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Speaker 1: and what you need from everyday territorians and those that

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Speaker 1: live in the municipality.

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Speaker 2: So our by laws have not been updated for thirty years,

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Speaker 2: so it's quite a significant period of time. And really

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Speaker 2: some of our bylaws don't reflect current community expectations and

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Speaker 2: what we need. So the proposed by laws, know in

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Speaker 2: relation to animals, management, health and safety, public facilities and places,

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Speaker 2: and I guess there's feedback that can be done through

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Speaker 2: the Engaged website and out till the ninth of December.

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Speaker 2: So we really encourage residents to provide feedback on the

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Speaker 2: by laws so that maybe for the next maybe not

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Speaker 2: thirty years, but ten to fifteen twenty years, we'll have

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Speaker 2: bylaws that really do suit our community.

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Speaker 1: It does seem like an awful long time. How come

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Speaker 1: it's been so long since they've been updated.

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Speaker 2: I think the by laws are one of those things

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Speaker 2: that from a legislative perspective, we had to look at

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Speaker 2: them a period of time and it takes a long time.

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Speaker 2: I mean community consult We started in April twenty one

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Speaker 2: in relation to the reinvigoration of the by laws, and

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Speaker 2: you know we need to seek community up on input

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Speaker 2: and have that period of time.

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Speaker 1: Now I've got a question from a listener and it's

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Speaker 1: come through from Daryl and it says, on behalf of

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Speaker 1: all territories, could you please us It's that asked me

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Speaker 1: to ask the Lord Mayor. But we've got you in

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Speaker 1: here this morning, simone, could you please ask what's the

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Speaker 1: council planning for the fiftieth anniversary of cyclone Tracy. We

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Speaker 1: know that it will be obviously it was nineteen seventy four,

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Speaker 1: so it will be twenty twenty four, but are there

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Speaker 1: some plans sort of starting to get underway or is

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Speaker 1: the Council starting to have a look at this.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, we've opened up conversations already with the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: government and more broadly too with the federal government in

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Speaker 2: relation to the cyclone Tracy in twenty twenty four. So

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Speaker 2: we'll definitely be planning something and we'll look to to

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Speaker 2: get onto that planning more detail early next year.

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Speaker 1: And we sort of have a bit of consultation with

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Speaker 1: some of the people that have lived here for that

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Speaker 1: long a period of time, because there does seem to

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Speaker 1: be a lot of Cyclone Tracy survivors. I was at

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Speaker 1: some in Carnival on the weekend and was hearing from

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Speaker 1: one of the mums you know, who was telling me

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Speaker 1: her story. It's pretty moving when you hear from from

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Speaker 1: locals what they went through and that they survived.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely. I think, look that community feedback stories are really

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Speaker 2: really important to telling the story in the history of Darwin.

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Speaker 2: So we'll look to do that and incorporate that in

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Speaker 2: part of the commemorations for Cyclone Tracing.

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Speaker 1: Now, Simone, I think that probably at your house, the

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Speaker 1: kids and everybody are as excited as what they are

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Speaker 1: at mine. And well, Santa's Village is opening on Friday.

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Speaker 1: Where exactly is it going to be this year and

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Speaker 1: what can families expect.

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Speaker 2: Look, we've had we had the Christmas Pageant early in November,

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Speaker 2: which I think was great for the city, the lightning

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Speaker 2: of the Christmas Tree, and Santa's Village were opening rain

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Speaker 2: Tree on the tomorrow actually or sorry Friday on the

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Speaker 2: second and look it's a great place. There's gonna be

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Speaker 2: photos in there. Other events for the kids that are

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Speaker 2: happening in Smith Street mall as well, and o'dahen Retailer's

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Speaker 2: Association's got some events happening in the mall, so yeah,

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Speaker 2: to be able to come in, maybe have a meal

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Speaker 2: in a restaurant a cafe, do a little bit of

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Speaker 2: shopping and get the kids entertained at the same time

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Speaker 2: and get that annual photo wonderful stuff.

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Speaker 1: And the carols by candlelight are on Sunday as well.

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Speaker 2: That's right, so at the Botannical Gardens on Sunday night

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Speaker 2: starting gates open at four point thirty but starting at

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Speaker 2: six o'clock and then also be some fireworks. It is

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Speaker 2: a ticket at events, so people need to get online

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Speaker 2: and get it. Get a ticket is five dollars for

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Speaker 2: a family just to get that ticket, so make sure

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Speaker 2: you do that. And there's some great entertainment planned for

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Speaker 2: the night with over thirty acts.

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Speaker 1: Yeah wautiful and our very own Sarah and Andrew are

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Speaker 1: there to host the evening which will be fantastic. A

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Speaker 1: little community service announcement as well to all the parents

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Speaker 1: out there. Tomorrow is December one, the elves on the

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Speaker 1: shelves arrive, So just to make sure that you're organized

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Speaker 1: and prepared and Simon. It does look as the council's

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Speaker 1: got heaps lined up for Christmas, which is great to see.

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Speaker 1: It's always such a fun time of the year and

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Speaker 1: great to see the city activated in that way as well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no, definitely, and I think not only in the

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Speaker 2: city but also adding to the suburbs. We'll have the

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Speaker 2: Kurama Family Funfair which is on the tenth of December,

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Speaker 2: so that's the Karma Shopping Center. Nightcliff on the twenty

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Speaker 2: third also has on the nightcliff Esplanade has an event,

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Speaker 2: and we also have an event at the Casarina Cinema

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Speaker 2: this year for the northern suburbs for their Christmas events.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, stuff for calendar.

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Speaker 1: If people are after a bit of info on those

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Speaker 1: events can just head to the council website.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely and there's actually the council website and forward Slash

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Speaker 2: Christmas and all the events so listed there.

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Speaker 1: Wonderful stuff. Will Simone Saunders, the CEO of the Darwin

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Speaker 1: City Council, great to speak with you this morning, Thanks

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Speaker 1: for your time, thanks for having us